For the first time in the Boulder International Film Festival's nine-year history, local musicians will a share of the spotlight.

The Lazy Dog Bar & Grill, which is serving as BIFF's Filmmaker Lounge, will host bands and a singer/songwriter showcase Friday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 17. The goal, according to BIFF organizers, is to get local talent heard by filmmakers.

"It's not necessarily Hollywood people -- it's filmmakers. Anybody who's making a film generally needs music for their film," said festival director Kathy Beeck. "We're hoping to build and grow this program and showcase some great local talent that would be good for use in films."

Lisa Bell helped coordinate the singer/songwriters showcase and also will perform. (Courtesy photo)

While three local bands -- SoundRabbit, Danny Bastos Collective and Aotearoa -- will play the Filmmaker Lounge on Friday, Feb. 15, and SaturDay, Feb. 16, the showcase Beeck is referring to is the singer/songwriter showcase.

"She and I looked at different singer/songwriters who we knew and were great or people who had connections with the film festival or other film festivals," Bell said. "For example, Ray Smith of the Strangebyrds did the score for the opening film, 'Muscle Shoals' ... Jenn Cleary has done Sundance Film Festival for several years. She brought a different perspective to what we were doing. We looked at a lot of Boulder County-based bands, and another one, Kelly Aspen, has had television placement in the past, as well."

The showcase walks a line. The musicians already have some exposure, but they could all benefit from some more. Then there's the setting: formal but not forced.

Ray Smith, for one, already has some film connections thanks to "Muscle Shoals" -- work he found through his fiancee and Strangebyrds bandmate's son, who was an editor on the film. But Smith is ready for more film work.

"It all works toward the common goal of just trying to get your music out there," he said. "If somebody pays attention to Strangebyrds because I did the score for Muscle Shoals, then that's great."

And movie work isn't just good for exposure. It also allows the songwriters to flex different creative muscles while still working on their own projects.

"To be able to do a full-length film score was really a super thrill and a challenge," Smith said. "You can do it when you want, but you have to do it quick. They don't like people who take a long time to do stuff. I like to work spontaneously and in the moment, so a lot of the work that they sent me, I'd get it back in the same day. Being quick and easy to work with are key. It's great work, especially if you like to write lots of music."

There's no contest or organized networking, but in addition to the 45-minute sets the singer/songwriters will play, there will be free compilation CDs for filmmakers and guests.

"Everybody is performing 100 percent original music, so it's all licensable for the filmmakers," Bell said. "We really wanted to be able to make that connection between the two. We're not forcing it. We're offering it up."

The Saturday, Feb. 16, showcase runs from 4:45 to 8:45 p.m. and the one on Sunday, Feb. 17, will go from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. SoundRabbit plays the lounge on Friday, Feb. 15, from 9 p.m. until midnight. Danny Bastos Collective and Aotearoa play Sunday, Feb. 17, in the same time frame. In addition to filmmakers, the lounge is open to anyone with a festival pass or movie ticket stub.

"The music business is a trickle to a flow, so everything you do is another show, and you always do your best," Smith said. "The really nice thing about doing a showcase show as opposed to a three-hour show we normally do is that you pull out your best stuff and really throw down in the moment. Filmmakers, I don't know that they are going to jump on anybody right off the showcase, but certainly it's always good to play for people who appreciate the music."

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